Movie Review -- Failure to Launch

Okay, first off. I really don't like Matthew McConaughay. I mean, really don't like him. He's not cute. He can't act. He plays the same, annoying, borderline-sexist pig in every movie. I'll admit that he looks good without a shirt, but that's about it. But I do love Sarah Jessica Parker. And while the premise of Failure to Launch -- a woman is hired to help an older couple get their 35-year-old son to move out -- is just plain stupid (ummm...make him move out? You're the parents, aren't you?) I was in the mood for fluff.

And what fluff it was. These people are as stupid as the premise itself, and the movie spent too much time exploring this stupidity (getting bit by a host of wild animals, for example) and not enough time exploring the characters. Which was a disappointment. I thought the characters had a depth to them, particularly SJP's Paula, that was barely touched on. Ultimately, the larger themes about intimacy and fear and misery were essentially glossed over for slapstick antics. Yes, it's a romantic comedy and not a drama, but the best comedies can (and in general, I'd say, should) expose real emotions, and I wish that this one would have. I loved when Paula said (paraphrased, obviously): It wasn't until I met you that I realized just how miserable my life is. This moment perfectly captures the fears that we all have about isolation and the refusal we often have to admit that these fears exist in the first place.

Perhaps the movie was trying to appeal to a broader audience -- instead of being a "chick flick" it gave us lots of typically "male" comedic moments (you know, chipmunk bites and rock climbing disasters). However, it fell flat for me, unfortunately, sort of like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days fell flat. Broader doesn't have to mean idiotic.

I give it 2 1/2 stars, mostly for some of the more real and touching moments between SJP and her roomie (played by Zooey Deschanel) . Wait for the video.